Chapter 12 of The Ralstons is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Ralstons is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door. Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon. But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back. “Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said. “No, no!” she cried, in answer.
Chapter 12 of The Ralstons is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading “As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.”
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.”
European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb
From this reading “As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading “But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back.”
term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male
From this reading “As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading ““Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said.”
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading “Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.”
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading “Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.”
In this reading ““Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said.”
to come or go into
In this reading ““Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
react verbally
From this reading “No, no!” she cried, in answer.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “No, no!” she cried, in answer.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
in a gradual manner
From this reading But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “No, no!” she cried, in answer.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
set down according to a plan
From this reading But Ralston laid his hand gently on her arm, and drew her back.
a room where books are kept
From this reading “Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, no!” she cried, in answer.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Please go into the library, Katharine,” he said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “No, no!” she cried, in answer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
in the direction of
From this reading As Alexander Junior came towards him, John Ralston advanced from the door.
precisely as stated
From this reading Katharine placed herself between them, very much as her mother had come between her father and herself on the previous afternoon.
Chapter 12 of The Ralstons by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford holds 380 sentences, grouped into 76 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 12 holds 380 sentences of The Ralstons, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Ralstons by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 380 sentences, grouped into 76 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Ralstons by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10169 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49954 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49954, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2034 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ralstons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Ralstons to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Ralstons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
